Sandu restored Moldovan citizenship to the former president of Romania

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has restored the citizenship of former Romanian President Traian Băsescu. Băsescu had been stripped of his Moldovan citizenship in 2017, but that decision has now been overturned.

This was reported by NewsMaker.

"President Maia Sandu, by her decree, restored Moldovan citizenship to former Romanian President Traian Băsescu, who was stripped of it in 2017 by PSRM party leader Igor Dodon upon becoming president," the report states.

Sandu thanked Băsescu for “his contribution to correcting historical injustice and facilitating the restoration of Romanian citizenship, promoting scholarships for our youth, and his unwavering support for Moldova.”

"Mr. Băsescu, now you are not only our brother but also our citizen. We are waiting for you at home," the Moldovan president added.

Băsescu, in turn, thanked Sandu for this decision.

"I assure you that I remain committed to the cause of Moldova’s integration into the EU, as well as to the reunification of the country and the Romanian people," he wrote on social media.

As reported, Traian Băsescu was granted Moldovan citizenship in 2016 by then-Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti.

In early 2017, Moldovan President Igor Dodon signed a decree stripping Băsescu of Moldovan citizenship, arguing that when Băsescu was granted citizenship, he had concealed information that a criminal case had been opened against him in Romania at the time of receiving citizenship.

Sandu stripped several security officials from Transnistria of their Moldovan citizenship.

Moldovamay be ready to join the EU by 2030, according to Sandu.

The European Union has moved to the practical stage of preparing Montenegro’s accession treaty. The country continues on its path toward EU integration and has declared its intention to become a member by 2028.

Ukraine hopes that the European Union will open all six negotiation clusters regarding the country’s accession this year and also anticipates the possibility of closing at least one of them by the end of the year. 

Ukraine may temporarily forego some of the benefits of EU membership to accelerate the accession process. Taras Kachka noted that such a step would help the country integrate into the EU more quickly.